Rian Johnson

A self-described audio-visual geek who made over 90 short films by the time he left film school, director Rian Johnson spent years struggling to make his first film before finally cobbling together en...
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Actor Mark Ruffalo emailed Star Wars director Rian Johnson asking for a part in the 2017 installment of the blockbuster franchise. The Avengers star had already collaborated with filmmaker Johnson on his 2008 film The Brothers Bloom, so Ruffalo felt a little more at ease when hinting he was eager for a part in Star Wars: Episode VIII.
He tells movie website Collider, "I just reached out to Rian recently, by the way. My email to Rian after all these years was, 'Rian, congratulations on everything you've been doing. And by the way, if there's a part in Star Wars, please, anything, please consider considering me to join you.'
"I love hanging out with Rian so (it) is interesting to me, but I would like a role."
While Johnson still has time to hire Ruffalo for Episode VIII, Star Wars: Episode VII director, J.J. Abrams, has already gathered his cast and production on the highly-secretive film began earlier this year (14).

WENN
Revered moviemaker David Cronenberg has revealed he was offered the chance to direct one of the new Star Wars films but turned Disney executives down.
The Naked Lunch and Eastern Promises director tells The Hollywood Reporter he received a phone call from film bosses shortly after J.J. Abrams was named as the man behind Episode VII, asking him if he'd be interested in taking the reins of a future installment.
He recalls, "Instead of saying, 'Oh my God, yes!' I said, 'Well, you know, I don't really do other people's material'. I don't know how far it would have gone but it ended there."
Cronenberg tells the publication he also passed on the Total Recall remake, starring Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale, adding, "It's not in my nervous system to do something like that."
Len Wiseman took on the Total Recall project, while Rian Johnson is reportedly in talks to direct the next two Star Wars films in the franchise.

LucasFilm via Everett Collection
It might seem like Disney is taking some big risks with its most precious property, the Star Wars universe. Gareth Edwards — slated to direct a yet unspecified standalone character feature for the franchise — turned in an exceptional Godzilla movie, but still only has one additional directing credit to his name. Chronicle's Josh Trank, recently saddled with a similar gig, was an even more surprising choice for the studio. And now, the coup de gracie: Rian Johnson, one of the most interesting filmmakers playing the genre game these days, will take on writing and directing duties for Star Wars: Episode VIII and Star Wars: Episode IX (per Deadline). It's the biggest task that Disney has yet to bestow upon any of its Star Wars folk, with sci-fi frontman J.J. Abrams only earning the one film, but perhaps the lowest risk of the bunch. If you take a look at Johnson's complete filmography, you'll see what we mean.
BRICK
Focus Features
Johnson's debut feature — a pitch black neo-noir mystery that follows a pre-resurgence Joseph Gordon-Levitt around the underbelly of his high school community looking for the answers to a spiraling mystery. The biggest strength of Brick, beyond some dynamite performances all around (Gordon-Levitt most of all) is a script that reads practically like music. Compare Harrison Ford bemoaning George Lucas' 1977 Star Wars dialogue ("George, you can type this s**t, but you sure as hell can't say it!") with JGL singing the praises of Johnson's poetry ("Brick was a good script just to read. It was like, 'Oh my God, these words feel so good in my mouth.' A lot of movies try to set up a world with cool sets, costumes, camera work. In Brick, the world is born from the words.") and you'll see that maybe a talented wordsmith is exactly what the franchise needs.
LOOPER
TriStar Pictures via Everett Collection
Johnson reteamed with Gordon-Levitt in 2012 for his first science fiction feature, and perhaps the first of his movies to earn something close to widespread recognition. Admittedly, Looper got its share of flack for "time travel problems," as any movie that plays fast and loose with the rules of such a delicate sci-fi staple is bound to. But Looper isn't a bastardization of the tradition, it's a celebration of it: of what makes it fun, interesting, a valuable storytelling device, and worth watching a movie about. Instead of being didactic to the impossible logic of timeline continuity, Johnson was devoted chiefly to the spirit of time travel. This is what we want in a Star Wars director — someone who loves that galaxy far, far away but won't let it arrest his imagination.
BREAKING BAD
AMC
Johnson directed three episodes of Breaking Bad, each a memorable entry in the series' five season run. The first was "Fly" (represented above, as even those unfamiliar might have guessed), Breaking Bad's take on the small screen tradition of the bottle episode, trapping Walter White literally inside of his laboratory and figuratively inside of his decaying mind. Two years later, Johnson helmed "Fifty-One," famous primarily for the climactic scene in which Skyler attempts suicide by jumping into the family's swimming pool. And finally, "Ozymandias," the third-to-last episode of the series and top contender for most celebrated Breaking Bad episode of all.
The director exemplifies such completely different strengths in "Fly" and "Ozymandias" that you'd have to be startled upon learning they were brought to screen by the same artist. In the former, Walt's turmoil reaches out from in, poisoning him (and Jesse) slowly and steadily over the course of the 45-minute ep. "Ozymandias," on the other hand, is a deep dish of adrenaline. From minute one, things are edge-of-your-seat tense, incurring shoot-outs, killings, high speed chases, kidnappings, domestic chaos, the works.
Both sorts of dramatic expertise are needed for any good adventure piece. Johnson can handle subdued tension, internalized drama, and psychological horror. But he also knows what he's doing when it comes to action, adrenaline, and guttural excitement. If nothing else has convinced you that he's a shoe-in for a good Star Wars picture, Breaking Bad has got to do the trick.
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Filmmaker Rian Johnson is reportedly in talks to take over directing the next two Star Wars films in the franchise from J.J. Abrams. Abrams is currently filming Star Wars: Episode VII in England, but bosses at Lucasfilm are hoping to bring the Looper director on board to write and helm Star Wars: Episodes VIII and IX, according to Deadline.com.
No further details about the movie sequels have been released, but Abrams' film is set to hit theatres in December, 2015.

Chris Whetstone
Eric Heisserer is making a big switch. He originally was a screenwriter, penning the scripts for the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, the prequel to The Thing and Final Destination 5. He then moved to the directorial side with Hours, a tale of a father trying to keep his premature-born child alive during Hurricane Katrina. (Note: This interview was conducted before Hours star Paul Walker's tragic death on Nov. 30.)
What made you decide to go from writing to directing? How did this all get put together?
This movie stuck with me more than anything I'd written in the previous five years. It was an original story of mine, and it came from an emotional place. I could see the scenes in my head as I wrote them. By the time I finished the script, I think I'd come to the realization that I had to direct this, or else I'd never forgive myself.
Of course the hard part was convincing others I could pull it off, as a first-time director. But I was fortunate enough to meet producer Peter Safran, whose faith in me was as strong as his passion for the material.
What was it like being behind the camera? Was it easier to fulfill your vision since you also wrote both the story and the screenplay?
I think there is a distinct advantage for the director who is also the writer, because you have a history with the story, and you know the reasons why a scene, or a line of dialogue, or a wardrobe choice is on the page. I learned very quickly that being a director requires the ability to answer ten thousand questions a day. I knew the answers to more of them because I could recall why a choice was made during writing. Of course, I often overruled my own writing in favor of a newer, smarter choice in the moment. I often told members of the crew, "Don't worry, I fired the writer." There is a point at which you have to let go of the way the movie was written and embrace what tools and settings you have to shoot it.
How was directing Paul Walker, who is a pretty well-known name in movies?
Paul was a real blessing. Hollywood forgot to tell him stars have egos. He's a hard worker, he's humble, he's earnest and polite -- it's just infuriating, really, because he's so damn handsome you kind of want him to be a jerk in real life.
But what I appreciated most from my time with Paul was his patience. This film was on a brutal schedule and required insanely long days where he had to exhaust himself again and again, and he never complained. He was his own harshest critic, too. Often I'd get a subtle but strong performance out of him in one take and yet he'd ask to go again because he felt he could do better. And we would, because now and then he'd blow us away with a different performance.
Did you have any directors that you modeled yourself after in terms of setting up shots?
I pulled from at least twenty directors' films as references when building the shots to HOURS. But really, when it came time to sit down with Jaron (my DP) and build the movie, shot by shot, we got in a groove where I'd talk about the way I wanted to feel in the moment, the things I wanted to emphasize or ignore or make dramatic, and Jaron would talk about how we could pull it off. He was a lifesaver by telling me, "Don't focus on the 'how' of the shot or the technical details -- that's why I'm here. Just tell me what you want this scene to do."
What was your biggest learning experience doing this?
Directing is the most exhausting thing I've ever done. I'm still not sure how I survived it. I don't know how anyone does, really. I saw a photo of James Wan on the set of Fast 7 looking bone tired, and I realized the man has another fifty-plus more shooting days on the schedule. My theory is that it's one of those jobs that's both physically and mentally draining, so by the end of the day you feel like you ran a marathon and then had to take a MENSA exam in a cage over a pool of sharks. Your body and your brain are both wrecked, and then some sadistic voice reminds you, "Do it all again tomorrow."
Were there any setbacks during the filming? What was the biggest challenge?
Oh god. The setbacks. All the time. They're all a blur to me now. I'd say the biggest monster we had to deal with was the eighteen-day schedule. This was a movie that, in the strictest budget, was a twenty-four day shoot. We lost six shooting days due to a variety of obstacles, and so we had to get creative on the fly. I think the thing that saved my sanity the most was my ignorance of what couldn't be pulled off. I went into some of those days telling everyone, "This will work, we can make it work, I know it." And then halfway through the day I was thinking, "Holy crap, now I know why they were telling me this is a three-day scene!"
Do you want to keep directing/screenwriting or returning to screenwriting?
I will always be picky about the projects I direct versus ones I merely write, but I do feel like I've learned so much from the first time, I want to continue to hone my craft as a filmmaker and find my next project. But that won't stop me from working purely as a screenwriter on other features.
When it came to the film crew, did you use contacts from previous films you had written or did Peter Safran have input on who would be helping out, doing casting, etc?
For the key members of the film crew, I leaned on both my producer Peter as well as producer Dan Clifton and my director of photography Jaron Presant. I'm friends with Rian Johnson, who'd directed Looper in New Orleans, and I set out to gather as much of his crew as possible, since I'd heard stellar things about their teamwork and attitude. And I was fortunate enough to get quite a few of them.
What advice could you give to aspiring directors?
My advice to aspiring directors: Write something. Just as my advice to aspiring writers is: Direct something. Learning firsthand what both of those jobs feels like will help you get so much better at both.
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We had previously postulated about a Breaking Bad ballet, but truth be told, a meth-inspired ice skating show sounds just as magical. Thanks to a very special BB fan, also known as the show's assistant editor Sharidan Williams-Sotelo, we are now in possession of one of the greatest tributes to Walt and Jesse ever.
Earlier this morning, "Ozymandias" directer Rian Johnson tweeted out the link to the video: "My friend @blogstradamus [Williams-Sotelo] (she cut the Ozymandias promo) was responsible for this Breaking Bad On Ice extravaganza." And because everyone can get behind this hysterically weird (and surprisingly deep) homage to Breaking Bad, even AMC posted the video.
AMC
Here are a few of our favorite highlights from the video:
- The fact that Walt is figure skating in only his tighty-whities in the opening scene.- The music choices: whimsical and intense all at the same time.- How amazingly high Skinny Pete and Badger can jump in the air. Who knew Skinny Pete could do flying splits?- "Elegy for Jane."- An extremely haunting interpretation of the pink Teddy bear's signifcance in the show.- A skating number danced to just the sound of Gale's beautiful yet naive voice.
So, since the Breaking Bad opera is already set to happen, what's to stop this figure skating show from becoming a real thing? But, seriously. Who's taking this project on? Because it definitely needs to happen.
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Warner Bros/Everett Collection
Alan Taylor, director of the upcoming superhero flick Thor: The Dark World, and director of several Game of Thrones episodes (some of the show's best ones at that) has officially snagged directing duty for the upcoming Terminator film. Taylor's previous work with Thor and Thrones displays his particular talents for fantasy filmmaking.
Besides his work in genre film and television, Taylor has worked on pretty much every HBO show of note, including Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, OZ, and Boardwalk Empire among others. While Thor 2 is only his first massive film project, it will undoubtedly give him the experience necessary to direct the futuristic sci-fi spectacle that the new terminator project is sure to be.
According to Variety, other directors including Rian Johnson, Ang Lee, and Denis Vileneuve were targeted, but it fell to Taylor to continue the Terminator saga, which started almost 30 years ago with the James Cameron original.
Taylor delivered the mythical grandeur of Asgard, and the quiet desolation of Harrenhal, but how will he capture the apocalyptic wasteland that awaits us when our Roombas become sentient and start killing their fleshy masters? Only time will tell.
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Thor: The Dark World filmmaker Alan Taylor is in talks to swap fantasy for sci-fi by helming the forthcoming reboot of The Terminator franchise. Taylor, who is also an acclaimed television director working on shows including The Sopranos, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, reportedly beat out Ang Lee and Rian Johnson for the job, according to Variety.com.
The new Terminator movies, which first launched in 1984, will also feature original series star Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to reprise his iconic title role.
Terminator 5 will be the first in a new trilogy of films in the franchise and is expected to hit cinemas in July, 2015.

Tri-Star Pictures
Unlike that other musclebound '80s destroyer, Sylvester Stallone never said he'd "be back." But if Sly's career proves anything it's that actions speak louder than words, and so he'll just keep coming back and back for more. The latest example? A Rambo TV series is in the works from production companies Entertainment One and Nu Image, and Stallone himself is rumored to be in talks for the title role.
This would be the fifth time Stallone has portrayed the one-man army, the last occasion being 2008's Rambo, a film so abysmal — in quality and in box office — that it seemed a given the character would be buried once and for all. Not so! Avi Lerner, the CEO of Nu Image, produced not only that last Rambo film but also the far more successful Expendables movies, so it does seem a legitimate possibility this Rambo series could see the light of day, though probably only as a limited run.
That said, all of this begs the following question: Sly, Isn't It Time to Hang It Up? I mean, Jean-Claude Van Damme broke out of his kickboxing rut and is now making art films. Bruce Willis, who you called out recently on Twitter for demanding $1 million per shooting day, has upped his game by starring in Wes Anderson movies and Rian Johnson noggin-scramblers. Even Arnold had some ambition outside the confines of the action movie genre: witness the eight-year performance art piece he staged from California's Governor's Mansion. But Stallone seems content to just repeat the same testosterone-clogged roles over and over. Funny that such a tough-guy is in real life unwilling to do the one thing his movie characters would hop at in a second: challenge himself.
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One might think an awards show put on by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films might skew to the fringes of the mainstream and beyond, but a quick glance down this year's Saturn Awards nominations reveal much more in common with the Oscars.
While the Saturn Awards' diverse categories find ways to beef up 2012's under-appreciated blockbuster entries — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey leads with 9 nominations, followed by Life of Pi (8) and Skyfall (7) — grey areas of genre categorization keep the list in check with this year's Academy lineup. Argo and Zero Dark Thirty for Best Thriller? Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables for Best Actor? Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy for Best Actress?? A pulp movie, no doubt, but as a choice from the connoisseurs of sci-fi and fantasy? There's a certain level of risk lacking in this year's nominations. Perhaps the geekier pop culture of the world has simply been widely embraced.
RELATED: 2013 Oscar Nominations: Biggest Snubs And Surprises
Check out the full list of nominations below, which admittedly do show some love for the weird and wild movies that made their way to theaters in 2012:
Best Science Fiction FilmMarvel’s The AvengersChronicleCloud AtlasThe Hunger GamesLooperPrometheus
Best Fantasy FilmThe Amazing Spider-ManThe Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyLife of PiRuby SparksSnow White and the HuntsmanTed
Best Horror/Thriller FilmArgoThe Cabin in the WoodsThe ImpossibleSeven PsychopathsThe Woman in BlackZero Dark Thirty
Best Action/Adventure FilmThe Bourne LegacyThe Dark Knight RisesDjango UnchainedLes MiserablesSkyfallTaken 2
Best ActorChristian Bale, The Dark Knight RisesDaniel Craig, SkyfallMartin Freeman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyHugh Jackman, Les MiserablesJoseph Gordon-Levitt, LooperMatthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Best ActressJessica Chastain, Zero Dark ThirtyAnn Dowd, ComplianceZoe Kazan, Ruby SparksJennifer Lawrence, The Hunger GamesHelen Mirren, HitchcockNaomi Watts, The Impossible
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Best Supporting ActorJavier Bardem, SkyfallMichael Fassbender, PrometheusClark Gregg, The AvengersJoseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight RisesIan McKellen, The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyChristoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting ActressAnne Hathaway, The Dark Knight RisesJudi Dench, SkyfallNicole Kidman, The PaperboyAnne Hathaway, Les MiserablesCharlize Theron, Snow White and the HuntsmanGina Gershon, Killer Joe
Best Animated FilmBraveFrankenweenieParaNormanWreck-It Ralph
Best International FilmAnna KareninaChicken with PlumsThe FairyHeadhuntersMy WayPusher
Best Independent Film ReleaseComplianceHitchcockKiller JoeThe PaperboyRobot and FrankSafety Not GuaranteedSeeking a Friend for the End of the World
Best DirectionWillian Friedkin, Killer JoePeter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyRian Johnson, LooperAng Lee, Life of PiChristopher Nolan, The Dark Knight RisesJoss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers
Best WritingTracy Letts, Killer JoeDavid Magee, Life of PiMartin McDonagh, Seven PsychopathsQuentin Tarantino, Django UnchainedJoss Whedon, Marvel’s The AvengersJoss Whedon, Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods
For the rest of the awards, including technical categories and TV, head to the Saturn Awards website.
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[Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]
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Summary

A self-described audio-visual geek who made over 90 short films by the time he left film school, director Rian Johnson spent years struggling to make his first film before finally cobbling together enough money to make the stylish teen-centric film noir, "Brick" (2005). Hardboiled by way of Dashiell Hammett, "Brick" was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and announced Johnson as a fresh new voice in independent film. From there, he diversified his talents, directing music videos for bands like The Mountain Goats, and helming episodes of "Breaking Bad" (A&amp;E, 2008-2013) and "Terriers" (FX, 2010). He went on to direct his second feature, "The Brothers Bloom" (2009), which failed to live up to the precedent he set with his breakthrough film. But he did earn considerable acclaim for his third film, "Looper" (2012), a dark and gritty sci-fi thriller that proved Johnson was a significant filmmaker with a bright future.